The operation of transportation systems can have a large impact on a city because it can impact the way thousands or even millions of people travel each day. The speed of response to disruptions in the public transportation system can also have a profound effect on the efficiency the city. Pre-planning responses to particular events and being able to quickly action those plans can make a measurable difference to passenger satisfaction and economic output.
Problematically, however, a transportation system may take a relatively long time to determine when such disruptions occur. In many cases, a transportation system may take hours or even days to identify a disruption in service and/or location the problem causing the disruption. With the delay in identifying such disruptions also comes a delay in implementing solutions to the disruptions. Moreover, solutions are typically implemented on an ad-hoc basis. Pre-defined response plans may exist, but it is typically up to station staff to implement it case by case.